Benny and the Jets

Only Zach Bogosian, Kenndal Mcardle and Johnny Oduya were kept off the scoresheet for the Winnipeg Jets last night; each of the other skaters had at least one point in the Jets’ first road win, a ridiculous 9-8 blowout at the Wachovia Center. After going up 5-1 and 6-2, the Jets stunk up the Wachovia Center in a big way. You want to talk about an ugly road win? That game was about as ugly as it gets.

One look at the scoresheet tells you all you need to know about the goaltending. Ondrej Pavelec certainly wasn’t great - Claude Noel replaced him with Chris Mason early in the third period after letting in the goal that tied the game at 6. However, he did face 43 shots (he came back in after Mason left the game with an apparent injury), whereas the Bobrovsky/Bryzgalov tandem in Philly’s net faced only 25 in total (to hear Bryzgalov’s very frank comments about his performance click here). Nine goals in 25 shots won’t win you a Vezina, but while 43 shots is a lot, only stopping 36 of them is a bit of a problem.

Highlights? You want stinkin’ highlights? Click here to watch ‘em all - the second video is particularly entertaining, condensing all 17 goals into a one minute montage.

The only line that was pretty consistently good for the Jets was the Antropov/Burmistrov/Kane line, which put up a third of the team’s nine goals. Why Evander Kane played under eleven minutes last night is beyond me, as he was one of the few that seemed willing to dig in the corners with Philly’s grittier players.

What can you really say about this game? It was truly bizarre. Some said it was like a classic came of years gone by - I don’t agree. Those games were high-flying, exciting tilts - last night’s game was just ugly and sloppy for the most part, although each team did decent work around their opponent’s net in wreaking havoc on the goalies. Given the score, you would think that this game would have been far more entertaining. I’m sure getting the first road win was a relief for the Jets, but most of their opponents on their current road trip will be better-prepared than the Flyers, who had played (and lost) the night before. Tomorrow they play Tampa Bay, which could be another high-scoring affair - the Jets’ Southeast division rival is having netminder issues of its own. Hoo boy.

Side note: today I got an email from the Winnipeg Jets announcing their first annual skills competition on November 15. Today might not be the best day to go there.

About Benny and the Jets

Fifteen years ago, Ben's beloved Winnipeg Jets left town. He begrudgingly turned to the Montreal Canadiens for comfort and found none, and is now struggling to find a place in his heart for the Winnipeg Jets v2.0.

Ben is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer that writes a lot about wine and beer. Expect his son to be drafted into the NHL in 2025.